| Airport-to-Airport Airfreight |
Commercial cargo with flexible destination collection arrangements and established import teams. |
Usually 1–3 business days between major airports, excluding customs clearance and local delivery. |
Air waybill, commercial invoice, packing list, export declaration where required, certificate of origin when applicable. |
Accurate HS classification, customs value, country of origin, consignee details, and import permits where required. |
Chargeable weight, fuel and security surcharges, airport handling, storage, and customs fees. |
Confirm airport codes, named consignee, delivery instructions, insurance, and the applicable Incoterms® rule. |
| Door-to-Door Airfreight |
Buyers seeking one coordinated movement from supplier premises to the final delivery address. |
Commonly 3–7 business days, depending on origin, destination, customs, and final-mile capacity. |
Air waybill, commercial invoice, packing list, transport instructions, import power of attorney where applicable. |
Confirm who is responsible for import clearance, duties, taxes, permits, product registration, and delivery compliance. |
Pickup distance, chargeable weight, residential or remote delivery, customs brokerage, duties, taxes, and handling. |
Use a complete delivery address, local tax or importer identifiers, contact details, and clear duty-payment instructions. |
| Consolidated Airfreight |
Smaller shipments that can share capacity with compatible cargo to reduce the cost per kilogram. |
Generally 3–8 business days, depending on consolidation schedules and deconsolidation procedures. |
House air waybill, master air waybill, commercial invoice, packing list, and shipment-level customs data. |
Each shipment must remain correctly described, classified, valued, and separated for customs reporting. |
Chargeable weight, consolidation and deconsolidation charges, minimum charges, storage, and destination handling. |
Verify cutoff times, cargo compatibility, piece count, dimensions, labeling, and whether split delivery is possible. |
| Priority Airfreight |
Time-sensitive components, seasonal inventory, urgent replenishment, or high-cost production interruptions. |
Often 1–3 business days on available routings, excluding customs delays and exceptional disruptions. |
Air waybill, commercial invoice, packing list, export filing, import permits, and product-specific certificates if required. |
Pre-clearance data should be submitted before arrival; restricted, controlled, or regulated products require additional review. |
Priority capacity, short booking lead time, special handling, weekend services, and expedited customs support. |
Provide complete data before pickup and obtain written confirmation of routing, cutoff, customs status, and delivery target. |
| Temperature-Controlled Airfreight |
Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, food, and other products with defined temperature limits. |
Typically 2–6 business days, subject to validated handling, flight availability, and customs release. |
Air waybill, commercial invoice, packing list, temperature instructions, permits, certificates, and handling records. |
Use qualified packaging, documented temperature ranges, applicable health or food controls, and a contingency plan for delays. |
Validated packaging, active or passive cooling, monitoring devices, special storage, handling, and recovery procedures. |
State acceptable temperature range, exposure limits, logger requirements, data access, and emergency contact procedures. |
| Dangerous Goods Airfreight |
Shipments containing regulated substances, batteries, chemicals, aerosols, gases, or other hazardous materials. |
Often 2–7 business days after acceptance; routing and handling may reduce flight availability. |
Dangerous goods declaration where required, air waybill, commercial invoice, packing list, safety data information, and permits. |
Classification, UN number, proper shipping name, packing instruction, labels, marks, quantity limits, and trained personnel are essential. |
Special packaging, inspection, documentation, handling, storage, carrier acceptance, and regulatory surcharges. |
Disclose dangerous characteristics before booking and verify battery configuration, packaging, labels, and acceptance status. |
| Project and Oversized Airfreight |
Industrial equipment, urgent machinery parts, prototypes, and cargo requiring special loading or aircraft planning. |
Approximately 4–14 business days, depending on dimensions, aircraft availability, permits, and routing. |
Commercial invoice, packing list with exact dimensions and weights, air waybill, export documents, permits, and lifting plans. |
Check aircraft loading limits, cargo acceptance rules, export controls, import licensing, wood-packaging rules, and site access. |
Volume or chargeable weight, special equipment, charter or priority capacity, handling, permits, storage, and delivery access. |
Provide accurate center of gravity, lifting points, packaging details, photos, dimensions, and delivery-site restrictions. |
| E-Commerce and Small Parcel Airfreight |
Low-weight, high-volume orders shipped individually to consumers or small business recipients. |
Commonly 3–10 business days, depending on destination, customs model, and local delivery network. |
Electronic customs data, commercial invoice or compliant transaction data, packing information, and recipient details. |
De minimis thresholds, tax collection rules, prohibited goods, accurate item descriptions, and recipient identity requirements vary by country. |
Parcel weight and dimensions, destination zone, duties and taxes, remote-area delivery, returns, and address correction. |
Confirm destination-specific tax treatment, product restrictions, return process, HS codes, and electronic data quality. |
| Customs Brokerage and Pre-Clearance |
Importers requiring document review, customs entry preparation, duty calculation, and release coordination. |
Document review may take hours; release commonly takes 1–3 business days when data and permits are complete. |
Commercial invoice, packing list, air waybill, customs power of attorney, permits, origin evidence, and valuation support. |
Review HS code, customs value, origin, importer registration, preferential duty eligibility, sanctions screening, and record retention. |
Entry complexity, duty and tax amount, inspection, storage, examination, amendment, and brokerage service fees. |
Approve the entry draft, keep classification evidence, reconcile duty calculations, and respond quickly to customs queries. |
| Trade Compliance and Documentation Support |
Global buyers managing repeated shipments, multiple suppliers, controlled products, or complex destination regulations. |
Set-up commonly requires several business days; shipment processing depends on product and destination complexity. |
Product master data, HS classification rationale, origin records, licenses, supplier declarations, invoices, and shipping instructions. |
Maintain screening, export-control review, sanctions compliance, origin determination, classification governance, and audit trails. |
Product complexity, number of countries, data-cleaning needs, licensing, audits, and document-management requirements. |
Maintain a controlled product database, assign document owners, review regulatory changes, and perform periodic shipment audits. |
| Cargo Insurance and Claims Support |
High-value, fragile, perishable, or commercially critical shipments requiring protection beyond standard carrier liability. |
Coverage is arranged before dispatch; claim timelines depend on evidence, inspection, and policy conditions. |
Commercial invoice, packing list, air waybill, insurance certificate, photographs, damage report, and proof of loss. |
Confirm covered risks, exclusions, declared value, packaging obligations, prohibited goods, and claim notification deadlines. |
Declared value, commodity risk, route, packaging, deductible, temperature exposure, and coverage scope. |
Inspect packaging at receipt, record exceptions on delivery documents, preserve evidence, and notify the insurer promptly. |
| Returns and Reverse Airfreight |
Defective, rejected, repaired, recalled, or customer-returned goods moving back to a supplier or service center. |
Usually 3–10 business days, depending on authorization, export formalities, and import treatment. |
Return authorization, commercial invoice, packing list, original shipment references, air waybill, and repair or warranty documents. |
Check temporary admission, returned-goods relief, repair-and-return rules, export controls, product safety, and tax treatment. |
Two-way transport, repacking, inspection, customs amendments, storage, duties, taxes, and special handling. |
Link the return to the original entry, state the reason for return, document value accurately, and confirm the intended customs procedure. |
